Minstrel Banjo

For enthusiasts of early banjo

Here's a new acquisition: a CDV by photographer Pascal Sebah of Constantinople, circa 1870s. I was taken by the fact that the body of the instrument doesn't appear to be a gourd, but rather a wooden frame like a "modern" banjo. The tailpiece and bridge also appear very "banjo-like." Any thoughts?

Views: 250

Comment by Bob Sayers on March 13, 2015 at 10:24pm

Hi Dan'l.  I wasn't sure that anyone was going to weigh in on this image, so I appreciate your comments.  Anyway, I agree that instruments such as this one add complexity to the West African origins of the banjo thesis.  Having said this, it seems to me that a critical (if not the critical) link between African precursors and African American banjos is not so much the "skinned lute" morphology, but rather the presence of a chanterelle, or short drone string.  I don't recall any (given my limited knowledge of the subject) European precursors for this feature.  Also, I think one can make the case that Sweeney and the other early white minstrels were truly seeking to emulate the sound--not just the look--of the African American slave banjo by retaining the drone string.  Who in their audiences would have noticed if they had simply dropped the chanterelle and strummed or picked their instruments like guitars?  Anyway, food for thought.  

Comment by Strumelia on March 15, 2015 at 12:00pm

On scheitholts, epinettes, langeliks, hummles, and mountain dulcimers (zithers all), the highest tuned string is traditionally the melody string or melody course, positioned closest to the player.  Presuming this to be true in Pretorius' described scheitholt, that would be the string that was capoed/'railroadspiked' down to raise its open pitch to a fifth above the tonic strings (thus conveniently capo-ing to avoid having to locate a tuning peg or pin halfway up the box).  If the tonic strings were for example low D unison, then the capo'ed string would be capo'ed up a 5th to A...this makes perfect sense for classic traditional diatonic ionian mode playing- the drones for example being in lower D, the melody string being a 5th higher in A, ---the melody string tune would be played in ionian mode with the octave-higher tonic D note starting on the 3rd fret.  DDDA.  Thus, the 'chanterelle' as you call it of the Pretorius scheitholt is actually the higher pitched capo'ed fretted melody string, upon which the entire melody would be play using the frets and the noter stick.  This is completely different from the setup and function of a banjo's unfretted rhythmic drone which is a true 'chanterelle' string.

Comment by Strumelia on March 15, 2015 at 12:41pm

"Stopped at the fifth"-  the fifth of the mode/scale on the zither.... the fifth fret on the banjo-  two very different things.  Plus, on the Pretorius description it is not a short string stopped to a higher pitch-  it's a regular length string stopped to a higher pitch, for convenience to avoid breaking the long string by tuning it up a 5th higher than tonic, probably to keep the convenience of stringing with all the same gauge strings. 

Comment by Parker Buckley on March 15, 2015 at 2:54pm

As an overly enthusiastic noter/drone dulcimer player and now OT banjo student, I'm really enjoying this discussion.  I hadn't realized the Pretorius instrument was "stopped" a fifth higher on what we would now call the melody string(s), but it makes perfect sense.

Comment by Strumelia on March 16, 2015 at 1:35pm

I'm out of this discussion since it now has reached the round and round and round stage we all know so well.   Bye!    :D

Comment

You need to be a member of Minstrel Banjo to add comments!

Join Minstrel Banjo

About

John Masciale created this Ning Network.

© 2024   Created by John Masciale.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service